The Valley of the Temples (Valle dei Templi) archaeological complex is located just south of Agrigento. It includes the remains of seven temples from the ancient Greek (Magna Grecia, i.e. Greater Greece) period, all built in Doric style. The temples are aligned along a ridge overlooking the Mediterranean sea and served as a beacon to homecoming sailors.
They all were built around the 5th century BC, some decades after the founding of Agrigento (in ancient times Akragas) which took place in 580 BC. The best preserved temple of the group is the Concordia temple which is ranked amongst the most notable structures of the ancient Greek civilization existing today due to its excellent preservation status.
The temples are surrounded by plantations of almond trees which blossom in February-March. The Valley of the Temples is a primary tourist magnet and has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1997.
01 Sicilian plains near Agrigento 02 Temple of Concordia 03 Temple of Concordia 04 Columns of Concordia temple
05 Temple of Concordia and naked angel statue 06 Temple of Concordia 07 Columns of Concordia temple 08 Columns of Concordia temple 09 Path and view of Juno temple
10 Almond trees 11 Almond tree 12 Almond tree 13 Temple of Juno 14 Temple of Juno
15 Temple of Juno 16 Valley of temples 17 Temple of Concordia 18 Temple of Juno
19 Columns of Juno temple 20 Columns of Juno temple 21 Columns of Juno temple 22 Temple of Juno 23 Sicilian plains near Agrigento
24 Bellis perennis flowers 25 Temple of Concordia 26 Temple of Heracles 27 Jupiter temple
27 Western section of archaeological area 28 Jupiter temple 28 Western section of archaeological area 30 Titan statue, Jupiter temple
31 Temple of Castor and Pollux 32 Temple of Castor and Pollux 33 Temple of Castor and Pollux 34 Temple of Castor and Pollux
35 Temple of Castor and Pollux 36 Kolymbetra gardens 37 Kolymbetra gardens
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